This game is a parody of MONSTER movies - but the
MONSTERS win! Or do they? For the first time in tournament play,
the two MONSTERS created by military research each won a game!
The results for 43 games:

Navy 30%
Army 30%
Air Force 28%
Marines 12%

The MONSTERS still appear to be well balanced, regardless
of military choice:

Creature

Games Won

% of Games Won

Games Played

% of Games Played

Bronacle of the Depths

11

31%

35

20%

The Glow Wyrm

10

29%

34

20%

F'rothomir of the Ice

5

28%

18

11%

Tomangi the Carnosaur

8

23%

35

20%

Dreaded Swamp Lasher

2

20%

10

6%

The Dust Devil

2

18%

11

6%

Konk - the Great Ape

2

12%

17

10%

Ixitpla - the Snake God

1

10%

10

6%

Super Colossal Guy

1

Mecha-Monster

1

Tim Greene of Morristown, TN had the Biggest MONSTER on the
Block, as his TOMANAGI THE CARNOSAUR accumulated a whopping 58
health, along with Atomic Breath. John Poniske Jr., who recently
joined the real Marines, won notoriety as the Best Actor in a
"B" Movie Award, along with his MON-STAR of the Silver
Screen certificate and Movie
Theater popcorn, as he was sent to Hollywood twice in the same
game. The GM picked up miniature pieces from swap meets to substitute
for the game pieces at the "Fun Table."

In one extraordinary game, all four players received lousy
starting lair rolls, so the military was mobilized and ready
at the onset. All four players were sent to Hollywood (the only
game in the tournament where this was reported). The military
research Mecha-Monster won the game for Mike Lam's Navy, the
first reported military win in the history of the tournament!

28 players participated in Round 2, including six of the eight
semifinalists from 1999. But all six veterans were knocked out
of the tournament. The room was rocking with the sounds of players
yelling during the MONSTER challenges. Only Circus Maximus
and Slapshot produced this much noise! In defeat,
1999 champ Marvin Birnbaum shouted "Super Colossal Guy JUST
RAN THE TABLE." Seth Kirchner made the semifinals as his
military research unit defeated three MONSTERS, entering the
final combat with 40 health, and beating a MONSTER with Armor
Scales and War Spikes, as the military recorded its second win!
Seth was joined in the semifinals by Jonathan Gemmel of Brookfield,
CT, and both David Brooks and Reiko McQuiston of Memphis TN.

The semifinals saw the first critical use of the scoresheets
to break a tie and decide alternates. Both Tom Meier and Reiko
McQuiston had scores of 36, but Tom had four toys and Reiko had
only two, so Tom advanced, while Reiko took 5th place.

Two of the four finalists included Joe Sposito and Rebecca Hebner.
Wait a minute, is this a review of the Junior tournament? They're
both 12 years old and they both played in the MONSTERS Ravage
AmericaJunior event. But they both made the finals of
the adult tournament, fair and square! Players who arrive in
the teaching hour can start early. So Joe's table started early,
and finished so fast that they played a second tournament game
during the same heat! In the first game, one of Joe's victims
was Joshua Garton, who had the highest AREA rating in the world
at the time. Joshua won the second game and advanced to Round
2, thanks in part to three cups of coffee, chased by a Pepsi!
We scraped him off the ceiling when the game concluded. Joe Sposito
won his Round 2 and his semifinal game to advance to the final.

In Heat 1, Rebecca Hebner, whose MONSTER had Brain Rot, defeated
Ben Knight, one of the game's co-designers, and...Joshua Garton.
Ben was playing it as his team game. In Round 2 Rebecca beat
the GM, Mark Love, who was also playing it as his team game.
Rebecca and Mark each had two health in the last round of the
last Challenge, and Mark had Armor Scales. Rebecca rolled a 5
and 6 to win! Rebecca went on to win the semifinal game and truly
earned her place at the final table.

Steve Scott made the finals and had actually designated Monsters
Ravage America as his team game - last year! He switched
to something else this year! He won his heat game by getting
control of the Challenge, since he had the MONSTER with the weakest
health, at only 8. Steve won the Round 2 game with the only MONSTER
with mutations that could be used in the Challenge. He made the
finals as an alternate, after losing to Joe Sposito in the semifinal.

In Tom Meier's heat game, two other players were sent to Hollywood,
including Paul Bolduc, recipient of the Best Sound Award for
2000, as he awakened the war gamers in the Valley room. Playing
the Dust Devil, Tom stomped his goal and only three cities the
entire game. His 13 health was the highest and enough to win.
In Round 2, it appeared that Tom would fall to AREA champ Joshua
Garton. Late in the game, the Blonde Lure sent Joshua's GLOW
WYRM to San Diego, where five planes and Mech-Monster were waiting.
With the Guard Commander research card, Tom used the entire National
Guard infantry and two Army units to send BRONACLE to Hollywood
just before the Challenge, as he won again with DUST DEVIL.

The final began with Joe Sposita's IXITPLA blocked from LA.
Tom Meier's GLOW WYRM stomped DC/Baltimore. Rebecca Hebner headed
to the northeast with BRONACLE and quickly became the Guard Commander
for the National Guard. Joe obtained Super Colossal Guy, gave
up on LA, and ravaged San Francisco with IXITPLA. As the MONSTERS
got bigger, the health markers ran out, and M & M's were
substituted, just as in 1999! Rebecca got Radiation Field for
BRONACLE and the Blonde Lure military research. Tom's GLOW WYRM
mutated at Three Mile Island and got Armor Scales with only five
footprints left until the Challenge! Rebecca picked up Fusion
Cells while Tom got Defense Satellites. Rebecca fired her newly-enhanced
cruise missiles at Steve Scott's BRONACLE - and mutated him with
Kinda Friendly, which
now immunized him from the National Guard units that she controlled!
Joe's IXITPLA mutated at Roswell and got the Son of MONSTER egg
- and his fifth toy! He SSSSSSS'd his MONSTER sound! Rebecca
scored two hits on Tom's GLOW WYRM with her Air Force cruise
missiles. She shouted "Yeah Bobby Lee!" (Must be a
wargamer) Tom stomped his goal and two military bases in the
process, with two footprints left!

Rebecca had a clear shot at LA, but she capitalized on stomping
Sacramento to start the Challenge. Joe's IXITPLA jumped into
the Meteor Crater to steal the Challenge for himself, his only
chance of winning, with only 18 health. He attacked his own
Super Colossal Guy first, adding two to his health. Joe faced
Rebecca next, but her 31 health was too much and she took over
the Challenge, losing three health in the process. Rebecca attacked
Steve Scott's BRONACLE, who had quietly accumulated 32 health
and an infamy marker. Steve won the battle and increased his
health to 42. But Tom Meier's GLOW WYRM had High Octane Blood,
which gave him the first attacks, three extra attacks from Infamy,
and his Armor Scales provided a defense of 4. Even though Tom's
health was only 23, the extra attacks helped and the mutation
held up famously as GLOW WYRM became King of the MONSTERS. Tom
had never played the game before the convention and won the plaque
and a copy of Rio Grande's T-Rex. Ironically, the two adults
who finished 1st and 2nd had both advanced as alternates after
losing to the same two12-year-olds, who ended up finishing third
and fourth.

MONSTERS RAVAGE AMERICA JUNIOR:

12
juniors appeared from their lairs to play in the junior version
of the game available to those 12 and under. In the first round,
Karl Henning earned sixth place in the tournament while Joe Sposito,
who ended up in the finals of the ADULT tournament, didn't make
the junior final, settling for fifth place.

The final was one of the most entertaining boardgames ever
played, worthy of a MONSTER movie script! Michelle Arnold took
a commanding lead, stomping New York City and Philadelphia. Patrick
Crowe attacked his OWN cruise missile at his OWN military base,
in the
hopes of mutating his DUST DEVIL. He took four damage instead!
Rebecca Hebner succeeded with two military research attempts
on the same turn. She got Super Colossal Guy and X-Fighters.
Michelle mutated and got the MONSTER-slowing Brain Rot. She also
got on the same turn the military's Stabilizer Ray, which removes
all mutations if the military damages the MONSTER in an attack.
Hmmm. Michelle was then attacked by Matt Beach's Rogue Nuke -
and knocked it down before it could detonate! Rebecca fired a
cruise missile at Michelle, saying, "It's nothing against
you, but I don't want you to win." Michelle's GLOW WYRM
slapped down that one too! Michelle then walked into Boston which
contained Matt's laser mine. She lost
five health from the mine and gained five from stomping the city.
Michelle was living a charmed life!

Rebecca offered to give Patrick a stuffed KONK that was being
tossed back and forth over the game board if he would agree not
to attack her with his three planes and cruise missile. Patrick
immediately back-stabbed her, but Rebecca's F'ROTHOMIR wiped
the entire force off the map without taking any losses! THAT'S
payback! Meanwhile Michelle implemented a plan to rid her GLOW
WYRM of Brain Rot. She entered a city that contained four of
her OWN military units and declared the use of the Stabilizer
Ray. If her MONSTER took any damage at all, the bad mutation
would be removed. She proceeded to DEFEAT all four of her OWN
units WITHOUT taking any damage!

Michelle was still running away with the game, by a wide margin,
on health points. Patrick decided to make a suicide attack, as
he entered a space containing a snack city and FIVE of Matt's
Army tanks. Patrick took almost no damage, but he was retreated
by Matt, who successfully rolled for military research for the
retreat. Matt drew the only bad research card in the deck. He
had to hand the Blob card to...Patrick, which was immediately
use to WIPE OUT the stack of five tanks he had JUST attacked!
YES, THIS REALLY DID HAPPEN!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!! Two 10 year-olds
then rushed into the room to excitedly announce in triumph, "JOSH
TOUCHED ME!"

Michelle took the last footprint marker to start the Challenge.
Matt had a mutation which gave him the first attack in the
Challenge, so he attacked Denver instead of stealing it. Rebecca
and Patrick also passed on stealing the Challenge, and Michelle's
charmed life seemingly continued, as she retained the Challenge
with 40 health and two Infamy markers. But her luck began to
change for the worse. She defeated Patrick's DUST DEVIL, but
his War Spikes reduced her health to 32 as Patrick took fourth
place. She then defeated Super Colossal Guy and Mecha-Monster,
with her health left at 30. Michelle then took on Matt's BRONACLE,
who had 27 health and a defense of 4 from Armor Scales. The mutation
turned the tide, as Michelle fell and took second place on points.
Matt Beach now stood with 49 health against Rebecca's 33 and
won the
tournament. Rebecca, who took second in the 1999 junior tournament,
went on to take third in the 2000 adult tournament, proving that
the juniors can hold their own with the adults in this game.